It seems that everyones' tranny failure symptoms vary...if its acting up one way or another, subtle or brutal...it usually ends up going down hill and in the end, fixed one way or another...either you pay or your insurance pays for a replacement...sad...
I documented my tranny's demise while back...I had a blow out similar to yours resulting in fluid that covered the whole underside of my truck...couldn't pin point the exit point other than it must've be from tranny somewhere...
I'm assuming you're addressing my post? If so, the tablet is a necessary part of the display...the analog gauge is 100% my own design so your set up is up to you. The dongle sends OBD output and some critical information like trans temp and oil pressure requires additional paid PID from the...
Even a perfectly new trans will act "weird" randomly...if the randomly weirdness is enough to feel like you got rear ended...then no, that's not good...
Ford Ranger transmission service is to completely replace the unit at 95K miles or when it stops working...preferably not while you're in the middle of a transcontinental drive...the replacement will come with new fluid and new filter...good to go for another 95K trouble free miles...